Peace Process

Nick Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process.

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for Basingstoke (Mr. Hunter) and Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson).

Illegal Immigrants

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will use the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to discuss with the Republic of Ireland the extent to which illegal immigrants are using the Republic of Ireland as a point of entry into the United Kingdom.

Des Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	The British Government have no plans to raise this matter at a future meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. We discuss this issue with Ireland in other bilateral fora.

Traffic Congestion

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to improve traffic congestion at Sandyknowes roundabout on the M2 motorway in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. David Burnside, dated 22 March 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about what plans he has to improve traffic congestion at Sandyknowes roundabout on the M2 motorway in Northern Ireland. I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	The recently published Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan (BMTP) proposes modifications to the Sandyknowes roundabout incorporating full signalisation coupled with layout improvements to minimise conflicts between different traffic movements and afford greater priority to the strategic M2 and A8 movements. Roads Service is currently investigating various options to implement these proposals.
	The M2 southbound from Sandyknowes junction through the Greencastle interchange to join the M5 is due to be widened to three lanes as part of Package 1 of Roads Service's DBFO Programme.
	In addition, the Transport Assessment associated with a planning application for the Global Point Development at Ballyhenry, has identified a traffic impact on the Sandyknowes junction. Roads Service is working closely with the developer to reach agreement on the nature and extent of any mitigating measures required for the development.
	I hope this information is helpful.

General Lighthouse Fund

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much was contributed by the central fund to the Northern Lighthouse Board in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what the annual budget of (a) the Trinity House Lighthouse Authority, (b) the Commissioners of the Irish Lights and (c) the Northern Lighthouse Board was in each of the last 10 years.

David Jamieson: The expenditure requirements of the three General Lighthouse Authorities are met from the General Lighthouse Fund. The annual expenditure figures available are set out in the following table. Expenditure figures for Trinity House Lighthouse Service prior to 1998 can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			£000 
			  Trinity House Lighthouse Northern Lighthouse Board Commissioners of Irish Lights 
		
		
			 1996–97 — 21,772 16,195 
			 1997–98 — 23,329 15,217 
			 1998–99 29,362 22,057 13,401 
			 1999–2000 28,587 28,185 13,701 
			 2000–01 30,364 22,930 15,077 
			 2001–02 30,203 24,210 16,168 
			 2002–03 31,998 22,385 16,034 
			 2003–04 31,747 22,797 18,864 
			 2004–05(1) 45,558 23,164 20,194 
			 2005–06(1) 38,712 22,941 20,663 
		
	
	(1) Approved budget
	Sanctioned expenditure for Trinity House post 2004 includes the forecast cost of the redevelopment of Harwich buoy yard and offices and redundancy costs.

General Lighthouse Fund

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue from light dues has been collected from ships calling at ports in (a) Scotland, (b) the Isle of Man, (c) England and Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the Republic of Ireland in each of the last 10 financial years.

David Jamieson: The information requested is set out as follows for the years 1997 to 2004. We do not have the data broken down in this way prior to 1997.
	
		
			£000 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Scotland 6,628,362 8,034,125 8,929,664 9,110,458 8,536,211 7,270,784 6,495,877 
			 Isle of Man 37,730 44,425 20,636 19,013 19,401 26,075 24,261 
			 England and Wales 51,540,876 54,942,312 55,756,006 57,923,612 62,489,783 60,343,914 63,510,099 
			 Northern Ireland 706,508 617,012 662,504 599,415 662,196 637,722 600,136 
			 Republic of Ireland (ROI) 2,816,420 3,131,481 3,464,780 3,416,675 3,077,674 3,363,730 3,482,544 
			 Total 61,729,896 66,769,355 68,833,590 71,069,173 74,785,265 71,642,225 74,112,917 
		
	
	The figures are for general light dues and does not include income from UK fishing vessels and tugs.
	The figures do not include any light dues refunds that were made.
	The figures for ROI are shown in sterling after conversion from punts. Pre conversion figures shown as follows.
	
		Republic of Ireland
		
			  Euros 
		
		
			 1997–98 3,154,666 
			 1998–99 3,597,475 
			 1999–2000 4,246,164 
			 2000–01 4,396,336 
			 2001–02 4,144,998 
			 2002–03 5,268,091 
			 2003–04 5,008,651

New Estates

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received about unadopted roads on new estates.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has received a small number of representations from people living on unadopted roads on new housing estates. In addition I met with my hon. Friend the Member for North Durham (Mr. Jones) last December to discuss unadopted roads in other areas.

Regional Funding Allocations

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the proposed introduction of regional transport funding allocations; how many miles of (a) motorway and (b) trunk roads will be reduced from national to regional importance; what representations he has received on this proposal; and what discussions he has had with the (i) Chancellor of the Exchequer, (ii) Deputy Prime Minister and (iii) Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on these proposals.

Charlotte Atkins: In December 2004, the Government launched a consultation on proposals to establish regional funding allocations for transport, housing and economic development. As part of that consultation a number of routes have been classified as being of regional rather than of major national and international importance. This amounts to 520 miles of motorway and 2,185 miles of all-purpose trunk roads. The categorisation is being used to assist the identification of regional priorities for transport investment and does not represent a reduction in the status of these routes. Representations about the classification of routes have been received so far from some local authorities as well as the RAC Foundation, the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association.
	The deadline for responses to the consultation was 10 March 2005. The Government are currently considering the responses received and will set out how it intends to proceed in due course. HM Treasury, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Transport have been working closely together at both ministerial and official level on the development of these proposals.

UK Waters (Security)

David Davis: To ask the Prime Minister which Government Department is responsible for patrolling UK waters for the detection of (a) narcotics, (b) illegal immigrants and (c) illegal importation of weapons.

Tony Blair: The Government are committed to tackling drug trafficking, illegal immigration and illegal imports of weaponry. HM Customs and Excise are responsible for patrolling UK waters for the detection of narcotics and other assigned matters, including the illegal importation of weapons. They also assist the Immigration Service by patrolling against illegal immigration, assisted by the police, Royal Navy and HM Coastguard.
	The serious Organised Crime and Police Bill provides for the creation of a new Serious Organised Crime Agency which will lead the national fight against drug trafficking, people smuggling and the importation of illegal firearms.

Maternity Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the statistics relating to maternity pay, which, since 1997 (a) are no longer collected by her Department and (b) have had the way in which the figures are compiled changed.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 17 March 2005, Official Report, column 423 by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People.

Music Industry

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department takes to support the UK music industry; and what action her Department takes to protect the intellectual property rights in the industry.

Patricia Hewitt: In addition to a range of business support solutions that apply to business generally, my Department has recently announced £0.5 million to promote the music industry in key markets like the US and China and, in response to advice from the music industry, UK Trade and Investment will be refocusing its resources and developing new strategies to help UK artists and companies enter the US market which is an export priority for the industry.
	We have delivered legislative changes to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights, including enhanced protection in the information society by UK implementation of the EC Copyright Directive (2001/29/EC). My noble Friend the Minister for Science and Innovation with responsibility for intellectual property, and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport with responsibility for sponsorship of the music industry in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, jointly chair the Creative Industries Forum on Intellectual Property, which includes representatives of the music industry and which is exploring new opportunities for exploiting IP in the digital environment as well as concerns about protection for rights threatened by IP crime and online infringement. This builds on the IP Crime Strategy which was launched by my Department in August last year and our work to raise awareness about IP.

Phoenix Companies

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are in place to protect consumers from phoenix companies.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is as follows:
	Measures in place to protect consumers:
	Disqualification:
	Courts can disqualify directors from between two to 15 years if they are unfit. "Phoenix" companies are particularly targeted and the courts take such cases very seriously. But hard evidence is needed in all cases.
	Over 1,000 directors were disqualified in the period April 2004 to February 2005. Over 850 of these disqualifications involved directors offering an undertaking not to act as a director under the recently introduced (2001) new fast track process. It avoids the need for a court hearing where the director consents to a period of disqualification.
	The Enforcement "Hotline" was established in January 1998 to enable the public to report possible criminal activities by those who manage companies while disqualified. In the period April 2004 to February 2005, 152 calls were received by the Hotline, 82 of which were referred for investigation.
	Prosecution:
	Directors can be and are prosecuted for offences relating to "phoenix" operations and on conviction they can, additionally, be disqualified from being directors.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) Executive agencies within the remit of her Department have regional offices based on the Government offices for the regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

Jacqui Smith: The Department is lead sponsor for the eight Regional development agencies, the boundaries of which reflect the Government offices for regions' regional structure. The regional development agencies were established under the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. The London Development Agency is based in London and was established by the Greater London Act 1999. None of the Department's other agencies and NDPBs have regional offices based on the Government offices for the regions' regional structure.

Child Benefit

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have benefited from child benefit in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Details of (a) , (b) , (c) and (d) for November 2003 appear in "Child Benefit Statistics. Geographical Analyses. November 2003". The latest figures available for (d) also appear in "Child Benefit Quarterly Statistics. November 2004". These publications are available on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/child benefit/menu .htm. Geographical analyses for 2004 are not yet available.
	I understand from the Department of Work and Pensions that the numbers of families claiming child benefit between 1999 and 2002 (and the numbers of children in these families) were as follows:
	
		
			  August 
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency 
			 Families 10,720 10,655 10,495 10,495 
			 Children 18,460 18,290 17,895 17,760 
			  
			 (b) South Tyneside local authority 
			 Families 19,810 19,800 19,580 19,530 
			 Children 34,455 34,345 33,685 33,380 
			  
			 (c) North-east Government office region 
			 Families 326,170 325,460 321 ,620 319,790 
			 Children 570,975 568,160 559,230 552,845 
			  
			 Great Britain1 
			 Families 7,014,225 7,020,270 7,004,140 6,987,525 
			 Children 12,745,925 12,728,005 12,657,620 12,582,040 
		
	
	(2) Figures for Northern Ireland are not available on exactly the same basis, and hence the UK figure is unavailable.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are taken from a 100 per cent. sample of the child benefit centre.
	2. In order to maintain anonymity of claimants, all 100 per cent. figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
	3. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	4. Produced by Information Directorate, DWP.
	Figures for previous years are not available on the same basis.

Total Managed Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the projected total managed expenditure for (a) 2007–08 and (b) 2011–12 is;
	(2)  what the projected annually managed expenditure for (a) 2007–08 and (b) 2011–12 is;
	(3)  what the projected total departmental expenditure limits for (a) 2007–08 and (b) 2011–12 are.

Paul Boateng: Plans for Total Managed Expenditure (TME), including Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) and Annually Managed Expenditure (AME), up to 2007–08 are set out in Chapter C of Budget 2005.
	Illustrative long-term fiscal projections for 2010–11 and beyond were set out in the 2004 "Long-term Public Finances Report" and were updated in Annex A of Budget 2005.

Working Families Tax Credit

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK received working families tax credit;
	(2)  how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have received child tax credit since its inception.

Dawn Primarolo: The numbers of families receiving working families tax credit in the areas requested appear in "Working Families' Tax Credit and Disabled Person's Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses".
	Estimates of the numbers of in-work families in these areas receiving child tax credit at various dates since July 2003 appear in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses". However, these estimates are based on a sample of families and are subject to sampling uncertainty. These publications can be found on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.

Departmental Finances

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's SR 2004 Departmental Submission.

Adam Ingram: No, as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
	Information relevant to the outcome of Spending Review negotiations can, however, be found in the Ministry of Defence's SR 2004 settlement as set out in Chapter 13 of the 2004 Spending Review document (Cm 6237), with further detail on forward defence plans in "Delivering Security in a Changing World—Future Capabilities" (Cm 6269).

Short-term Plans

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library his Department's short-term plans since financial year 1997–98.

Adam Ingram: There is no single formal document that constitutes the Department's short-term plan. The output of the short-term planning round is a set of detailed planning assumptions and financial data which forms part of internal advice to senior management and Ministers on the overall affordability of the defence programme. It is not in a readily publishable form.
	A summary of the outcome of the planning process is, however, set out in the Government's expenditure plans for the Ministry of Defence. A table of the Department's plans produced since 1997–98 is provided as follows.
	
		
			  CM 
		
		
			 1997–98 to 1999–2000 3602 
			 1998–99 3902 
			 1999–2000 to 2001–02 4208 
			 2000–01 to 2001–02 4608 
			 2001–02 to 2003–04 5109 
			 2002–03 to 2003–04 5412 
		
	
	Additionally, documents produced since 1999–2000 are available at http://www.mod.uk/publications/mod reports.htm.

Animal By-Product Regulation

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she has issued to officials on carrying out risk assessments before applying the Animal By-Product Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 to Intermediary Plants.

Ben Bradshaw: There is extensive guidance available to State Veterinary Service (SVS) officials on the inspection and approval of Intermediate Plants. This guidance was produced in consultation with experienced Veterinary Officers from the SVS. In addition, officials have access to the same guidance we have produced for Intermediate Plant operators, and guidance on the loading and unloading of animal by-products. However, while there is a need to assess any risks to public or animal health, the main purpose of the inspections is to ensure that the Intermediate Plant complies with the requirements of the Animal By-Products Regulation. The instructions to vets therefore focus the legal requirements in order to ensure that the regulation is applied consistently across the country.

Foot and Mouth

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many instances of (a) inaccurate valuations, (b) deliberate spreading of infection and (c) claims for work not undertaken in all completed prosecutions instituted against individuals and companies for fraudulent claims arising from the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 14 March 2005
	The information requested is as follows.
	Inaccurate valuations:
	It is not clear what is meant by 'inaccurate valuations'. We did carry out a full reconciliation of all compensation payments following the outbreak. Any amendments or recalculations were done and additional payments made or overpayments recovered as appropriate. We do not have a record of each claim that was affected in this way.
	The value of an animal is a subjective decision made by professionally qualified valuers, who have sight of the animal and a full knowledge of the herd/flock history as well as experience of the livestock industry. Once the valuation is agreed by the valuer, the farmer and the supervising Ministry official we are legally obliged to pay the agreed amount. There have been observations made that our control over the valuation process was poor and that this contributed to higher than necessary compensation payments. We have accepted this and improved our approach to valuations for a future outbreak.
	Deliberate spreading of infection:
	No formal assessment of whether farmers or anyone else deliberately sought to introduce foot and mouth disease (FMD) in order to claim compensation took place. There were many media reports at the time of allegations that such mischief was taking place. Three files where allegations were investigated in 2001 have been traced and the allegation and outcomes are summarised as follows:
	File A—on investigation this allegation of deliberate infection amounted solely to repetition by an unidentified man to a part-time journalist and recorded by the part-time journalist on tape of rumours that were then prevalent about deliberate infection. The unidentified man said
	"tails from infected animals are placed in uninfected areas to spread the disease".
	The part-time journalist refused to reveal the identity of his source so the investigation could not be taken any further.
	File B—an anonymous voice-message in an Irish accent left on a mobile phone asked the recipient to supply
	"animals infected with BSE and FMD"
	turned out to be a prank from the caller. This was admitted by the prankster when he was traced by an Investigation Officer. The prankster also admitted he had dialled the wrong number and the prank was intended for a friend rather than the recipient of the call.
	File C—Farmer A's cattle were slaughtered as they had been in contact with FMD. He was compensated. He bought some more cattle from Farmer B but left them on Farmer B's land for the time being. Farmer A's replacement cattle and Farmer B's own cattle contracted FMD. Both were compensated. The matter was investigated as it seemed very suspicious. There was no evidence of any deliberate misconduct but poor bio-security by Farmer A, who visited the cattle on three occasions, was identified as a possible cause of the transmission of FMD.
	Completed prosecutions for fraud arising out of fraudulent claims for compensation:
	Six people were prosecuted by Defra for fraud offences in connection with the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001:
	Three members of staff were prosecuted and pleaded guilty to making false subsistence claims and were ordered to complete Community punishment orders and to pay compensation to Defra totalling £5,883. All three were dismissed.
	Three farmers were prosecuted for making false compensation claims; one farmer pleaded guilty to falsely stating the cost of feed and was fined £3,500, two other farmers were acquitted—it was alleged that both had falsely overclaimed for equipment destroyed or premises damaged during the FMD outbreak.

Greenways

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many kilometres of greenways there are in England; how many greenways and similar projects are planned; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: The Countryside Agency set up six 'pilot greenway projects' in England between 1999 and 2002, which together totalled a distance of approximately 60 km (37 miles). The Countryside Agency defined "Greenways" as a
	"network of largely car-free, off-road routes connecting people to facilities and open spaces in and around towns and counties and to the countryside. For shared use by people of all abilities on foot, bike or horseback, for commuting play or leisure".
	The Agency's aim was to build on existing facilities and routes and was aimed at providing:
	Improved access to employment, shops, schools, leisure centres and places of interest.
	Inter-connecting links between communities.
	Continuity of routes.
	Encouragement to increase cycling, walking and horse riding.
	An improved environment—less traffic congestion and pollution.
	Attractive routes for leisure and recreational purposes.
	The Agency wished to link "Greenways" to other networks for non-motorised users such as the National Cycle Network, towpaths beside inland waterways, and National Trials. They include stretches of 'quiet' minor roads designed to be more attractive for people on bikes, horseback or walking.
	The Countryside Agency has suggested to local authorities that through the introduction of their 'Rights of Way Improvement Plans', they could identify further routes and develop further integration with public transport, as part of the effort to reverse the trend for increasing reliance on the private car for the journey to work.

Regional Sports Boards

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total public expenditure on Regional Sports Boards has been in each year since their creation.

Richard Caborn: Regional Sports Boards were reconstituted in their current form as part of Sport England's modernisation process and took responsibility for the distribution of Sport England's Community Investment Fund in April 2004. Details of their planned public expenditure (Exchequer and Lottery) in 2004–05 are provided in the table.
	
		
			 £000 
			 Region Awards distributed Direct delivery costs Other running costs Total 
		
		
			 East 9,128 39 989 10,156 
			 East Midlands 14,868 44 1,041 15,953 
			 London 12,802 60 1,066 13,927 
			 North East 11,915 46 930 12,891 
			 North West 26,849 74 1,249 28,172 
			 South East 14,514 51 1,333 15,899 
			 South West 10,394 38 952 11,384 
			 West Midlands 13,183 46 1,061 14,290 
			 Yorkshire 9,054 44 1,022 10,120

Abolition of Slavery (Commemoration)

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

Derek Twigg: The 200th anniversary commemoration provides a useful focus for schools to enrich curriculum work on slavery through opportunities in History and Citizenship education. The DfES and DCMS are jointly funding the "Slavery, Society and Port Cities" project aimed at engaging schoolchildren and teachers to utilise the unique contribution that slavery-related cultural resources bring to the debate on cultural identity and diversity.

Adult Education

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what safeguards are planned to protect adult education classes that do not teach basic skills.

Ivan Lewis: The Government is committed to safeguarding learning for personal fulfilment which does not necessarily lead to qualifications. The Learning and Skills Council's budget for such learning, delivered though local education authorities, increased from £206 million in 2003–04 to £207.4 million in 2004–05 compared with £145 million in 2000–01. My Department will shortly be receiving proposals from the Learning and Skills Council on how to meet this safeguard in the long term while ensuring a fair distribution of public funding between geographical areas.

Adult Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she is taking to improve provision of adult education.

Ivan Lewis: On March 22 we published our White Paper setting out our policies and progress in improving adult education and skills—entitled "Skills : Getting on in business, getting on at work". It set out the key measures we have taken in this area, including creation of the new network of Sector Skills Councils and the successful Employer Training Pilots, both of which create a powerful new employer-led direction to skills provision. It also announced our plans for further improving adult provision, including the roll out of the National Employer Training Programme, the creation of new Skills Academies to deliver training in each sector, the national roll-out of the entitlement to free tuition to NVQ Level 2, and an improved and extended service to deliver advice and guidance on careers, training and support.

Adult Education

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost per student was at current prices of providing Level 3 courses for adults at further education colleges in each year since 1997–98; what the Government's contribution was per student; and what her estimate is for (a) 2004–05 and (b) each of the next two years.

Kim Howells: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The costs of providing Level 3 courses for adults at further education colleges are set by the LSC and as such the Department does not collect or hold the information requested.
	Mark Haysom, the Learning and Skills Council's Chief Executive will write to the hon. Member with details of what the average cost per student was at current prices of providing Level 3 courses for adults at further education colleges in each year since 1997–98; what the Government's contribution was per student; and what his estimate is for (a) 2004–05 and (b) each of the next two years. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Library.

Child Poverty

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to achieve the Government's targets of (a) ending child poverty by 2020 and (b) halving it by 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 2 March 2005
	The Government set out the steps that departments across Government are taking to achieve the targets of ending child poverty by 2020 and halving it by 2010 in the Child Poverty Review, published alongside the 2004 Spending Review and available at
	http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/spending review/spend sr04/associated documents/spending sr04 childpoverty.cfm.

Nursery Education

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free part-time nursery education places were available in (a) 1998–99 and (b) 2004–05.

Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in England is shown in the following table.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004 (final)", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	Provisional figures for 2005 are scheduled for release in April 2005.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(18) taken up 3 and 4-year-olds England.
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools(19) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(20) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total  4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1999 225,700 n/a 225,700 n/a n/a (21)593,800 
			 2004 215,300 (22)246,200 461,600 461,100 (23)110,000 571,200 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(18) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(19) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(20) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(21) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(22) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(23) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	Between 1999 and 2004, the number of free nursery education places taken up by four-year-olds decreased by 4 per cent. The number of four-year-olds in the population decreased by 7 per cent.

Sure Start

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what activities Sure Start programmes in Sefton are engaging in to increase (a) literacy, (b) speech and (c) language developments; and what results these activities have had;
	(2)  what services Sure Start programmes in Sefton are engaging in to care for new mothers, with particular reference to (a) post-natal depression clinics and (b) breast feeding groups and what results these services have produced.

Margaret Hodge: There are four Sure Start local programmes in Sefton; Sure Start Litherland, Bootle, Dell and Orvell was approved in 2000; Sure Start Seaforth and Bootle in 2001; Sure Start Southport in 2002 and Sure Start Netherton in 2003. Between them the four programmes provide services to 2,800 children under four and their families living within their catchment areas. The programmes deliver a wide range of services including: training in parenting skills; health services and outreach support to children and families in their own homes.
	Three of the four programmes have evaluated their activities as follows:
	Sure Start Litherland, Bootle and Orrell have a 'Start Right' group who encourage learning and education through play and group settings. This involves reading, writing, dialogic play and imaginative play. Parents with no concerns about their child's language development increased from 80 per cent. in 2001–02 to 88 per cent. in 2003–04.
	The community midwife provides breast feeding support sessions at birth, six weeks and 17 weeks. The take up of these sessions has gone up from 20 per cent. in 2002–03 to 23 per cent. in 2003–04 at birth; 4 per cent. to 10 per cent. at six weeks and 2 per cent. to 7 per cent. at 17 weeks.
	The number of women supported by the post-natal depression group rose from 12 in 2002–03 to 29 in 2003–04.
	Sure Start Seaforth and Bootle has established a mobile toy library and the early years workers provide practical support around early learning and play. Parents with no concern in relation to language development increased from 77 per cent. in 2001–02 to 79 per cent. in 2003–04.
	The community midwife provides breast feeding support sessions at birth, six weeks and 17 weeks. The take up of these sessions has gone up from 34.4 per cent. in 2002–03 to 37.9 per cent. in 2003–04 at birth; 8 per cent. to 13.9 per cent. at six weeks and 4 per cent. to 8.6 per cent. at 17 weeks.
	The number of women supported by post-natal depression group increased from 13 in 2002–03 to 30 women in 2003–04.
	Sure Start Southport appointed a children's library worker in April 2003 and between June and December 2003, 92 new members joined from the catchment area. Breast feeding and post-natal depression data is not available for this programme.
	Sure Start Netherton will provide their first report in September 2005.
	The programmes' funding for the current and future years is as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			   Revenue 
			 Programme name Capital Approved 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 
		
		
			 Litherland, Bootle and  Orrell 1,000,000 675,407 692,293 692,293 
			 Seaforth and Bootle 825,21 1 770,140 789,393 789,393 
			 Southport 36,500 643,982 660,039 660,039 
			 Netherton 6,000 669,999 682,033 682,033 
		
	
	All four programmes are developing into children's centres and will contribute towards achieving our goal of a children's centre for every community by 2010.
	There are eight neighbourhood nurseries in the most disadvantaged areas in Sefton providing 291 affordable childcare places to families living there.

University Admissions

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have entered higher education from school in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997.

Kim Howells: The most recent information, showing the proportion of 18-year-olds who obtained places on full-time undergraduate courses via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), is shown in the table. Participation rates for each parliamentary constituency are not calculated by the Department.
	
		Proportion of 18-year-olds obtaining places on full-time undergraduate courses Academic year 2003/04
		
			 Year of entry South Tyneside North East England 
		
		
			 1997 15.7 17.5 20.5 
			 1998 14.8 17.9 20.0 
			 1999 15.2 18.2 20.0 
			 2000 16.7 18.4 20.6 
			 2001 17.2 19.2 21.5 
			 2002 17.4 19.8 22.0 
			 2003 16.6 19.0 21.4 
		
	
	In addition, HEFCE have recently published 'Young participation in Higher Education', (available from http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05 037) which shows the proportion of young people who enter higher education at age 18 or 19, although this only covers the years up to 2000. Participation rates for constituencies based on this work are given on the supporting POLAR website (www.hefce.ac.uk/polar). The figures indicate that the proportion of young people from Jarrow who entered higher education at age 18 or 19 was 23 per cent. in 1997 and 24 per cent. in 2000.

Civil Servants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of the enhanced early retirement scheme for civil servants in his Department and its agencies was in each year from 1997–98 to 2003–04 and what the estimated cost will be in each year from 2004–05 to 2007–08; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The cost of enhanced exits in the Home Office and its agencies for financial years 1997–98 to 2003–04 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			 Financial year Core Home Office Prison Service UKPS CRB Total cost 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,405,248 -85,224 26,741 0 1,346,765 
			 1998–99 1,403,875 1,519,160 9,000 0 2,932,035 
			 1999–2000 1,662,050 2,839,945 -106,137 0 4,395,858 
			 2000–01 1,360,998 2,097,528 34,000 0 3,492,526 
			 2001–02 1,691,921 4,907,931 139,476 0 6,739,328 
			 2002–03 6,667,783 11,700,395 21,148 0 18,389,326 
			 2003–04 600,992 2,399,946 50,245 0 3,051,183 
			 Total 14,792,867 25,379,681 174,473 0 40,347,021 
		
	
	The estimated costs for financial years 2004–05 to 2007–08 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			 Financial year Core Home Office Prison Service UKPS CRB Total cost 
		
		
			 2004–2005 3,033,937 3,500,000 542,817 0 7,076,754 
			 2005–2006 1,476,416 3,120,329 34,010 0 4,630,755 
			 2006–2007 1,116,853 2,485,182 12,385 0 3,614,420 
			 2007–2008 827,373 1,730,066 9,185 0 2,566,624 
			 Total 6,454,579 10,835,577 598,397 0 17,888,553

Under-age Alcohol Sales

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for the sale of alcohol to under 18-year-olds there have been in each year since 2000, broken down by local authority; and what guidance he gives to local authorities on the conduct of investigations into, and prosecutions for, such offences.

Hazel Blears: Details of the numbers of persons proceeded against and those found guilty of selling alcohol to persons aged under 18 in England and Wales for the years 2000 to 2003 are shown in the table. The statistics collected centrally do not allow local authorities to be identified, but a breakdown by police force area is provided. Statistics for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
	The penalty notice for disorder scheme provides for persons who commit specified penalty offences to be issued with a fixed penalty notice instead of being prosecuted. The table therefore also contains details of the provisional number of penalty notices issued for this offence in 2004.
	The Government have not issued any guidance to local authorities on the conduct of investigations into, and prosecutions for, such offences. Such matters are dealt with by Trading Standards and by the police. Guidance pertaining to the test purchasing of alcohol by minors has been issued by LACORS and the Trading Standards Institute, and can be viewed at www.lacors.gov.uk.
	
		Persons proceeded against, those found guilty and those given penalty notices for disorder for selling alcohol to persons under 18 years, England and Wales
		
			  Selling intoxicating liquor to persons under 18(24) 
			  Persons proceeded against Persons found guilty Persons given PNDs 
			 Police force area 2000 2001 2002 2003 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004(25) 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset — 1 — 2 — — — 2 — 
			 Bedfordshire 1 1 1 2 — 1 1 1 — 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 2 — — — — — — — 
			 Cheshire 6 — 4 16 2 — 3 5 — 
			 Cleveland — 1 1 4 — 1 1 1 — 
			 Cumbria — 2 2 1 — — — — — 
			 Derbyshire 8 3 — 37 1 3 — 24 — 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 — 1 — 1 — — — — 
			 Dorset — 3 — 9 — 1 — 8 22 
			 Durham 1 — — — 1 — — — — 
			 Essex — 2 3 7 — 2 2 7 5 
			 Gloucestershire — — — — — — — — — 
			 Greater Manchester 20 20 39 122 7 14 28 87 — 
			 Hampshire 3 2 4 — 1 — 3 — 1 
			 Hertfordshire 1 — — 1 1 — — — — 
			 Humberside — — — — — — — — 2 
			 Kent — 5 3 9 — 1 3 7 — 
			 Lancashire 1 13 14 23 — 2 7 13 24 
			 Leicestershire 1 — 10 15 1 — 9 11 3 
			 Lincolnshire — — — 17 — — — 11 — 
			 City of London — — — — — — — — — 
			 Merseyside 1 — 14 42 1 — 6 27 — 
			 Metropolitan police 2 19 12 113 1 3 9 77 5 
			 Norfolk — — — 1 — — — 1 — 
			 Northamptonshire — 3 1 — — — 1 — 1 
			 Northumbria 17 17 8 38 8 7 4 31 1 
			 North Yorkshire — — — 7 — — — 1 — 
			 Nottinghamshire — — — 7 — — — 2 7 
			 South Yorkshire 14 20 — — 9 2 — — 2 
			 Staffordshire — — 3 8 — — 3 6 — 
			 Suffolk — — — — — — — — — 
			 Surrey — — 5 4 — — 2 2 — 
			 Sussex 2 7 — 8 1 — — 7 — 
			 Thames Valley 1 3 — 6 1 2 — 4 — 
			 Warwickshire — — — 27 — — — 23 — 
			 West Mercia 3 3 — 7 2 2 — 6 1 
			 West Midlands 18 8 9 20 8 1 4 19 6 
			 West Yorkshire 8 9 14 2 6 7 8 1 4 
			 Wiltshire 2 2 1 6 — — 1 3 — 
			 Dyfed-Powys 8 3 2 5 2 1 1 5 — 
			 Gwent 4 5 9 2 2 3 5 2 — 
			 North Wales 2 1 1 7 — — 1 5 1 
			 South Wales — — 7 29 — — 3 17 — 
			 Total 130 155 168 604 56 53 105 416 85 
		
	
	
		
			  Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to person under 183 
			  Persons proceeded against Persons found guilty 
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset — — — — — — — — 
			 Bedfordshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Cambridgeshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Cheshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Cleveland — — — — — — — — 
			 Cumbria — — — — — — — — 
			 Derbyshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Devon and Cornwall — — — — — — — — 
			 Dorset — — — — — — — — 
			 Durham — — — — — — — — 
			 Essex — — — — — — — — 
			 Gloucestershire — — — — — — — — 
			 Greater Manchester 2 — — 7 — — — — 
			 Hampshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Hertfordshire — — 1 — — — — — 
			 Humberside — — — — — — — — 
			 Kent — — — 3 — — — 3 
			 Lancashire — — — — — — — — 
			 Leicestershire — 1 — — — — — — 
			 Lincolnshire — — — — — — — — 
			 City of London — — — — — — — — 
			 Merseyside — — — — — — — — 
			 Metropolitan Police — — — — — — — — 
			 Norfolk — — — — — — — — 
			 Northamptonshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Northumbria — — — — — — — — 
			 North Yorkshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Nottinghamshire — — — 2 — — — — 
			 South Yorkshire — 2 — — — — — — 
			 Staffordshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Suffolk — — — — — — — — 
			 Surrey — — — — — — — — 
			 Sussex — — — — — — — — 
			 Thames Valley — — — — — — — — 
			 Warwickshire — — — — — — — — 
			 West Mercia — — — — — — — — 
			 West Midlands — — 1 — — — — — 
			 West Yorkshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Wiltshire — — — — — — — — 
			 Dyfed-Powys — — — — — — — — 
			 Gwent — — — — — — — — 
			 North Wales — — — — — — — — 
			 South Wales — — — — — — — — 
			 Total 2 3 2 12 — — — 3 
		
	
	(24) Under the Licensing Act 1964, sections 169A and B and the Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983, section 3 (schedule para. 4(1))
	(25) Provisional figures.
	(26) Under the Licensing Act, section 181A(1) as added by the Licensing Act 1988, section 17.

Waste

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  if he will estimate the total volume of waste that has been produced each year since 1975; and how much was (a) food and other organic waste, (b) paper products, (c) printer products and (d) plastic packaging;
	(2)  what the total volume of waste produced on the parliamentary estate was in each year since 1975, broken down by (a) amount produced and (b) amount recycled.

Archy Kirkwood: Data are available since 2002–03 for the total weight of waste, the weight of waste paper products recycled and the weight of other products recycled. Separate figures are not available for food, printer products or plastic packaging.
	
		
			Tonnes 
			  Total weight of waste Weight of paper products recycled Weight of other products recycled 
		
		
			 2002–03 1,478 263 311 
			 2003–04 2,319 379 229 
			 2004–05 to January 1,517 273 138

New Deal (Lone Parents)

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents in Edinburgh North and Leith have gained work through the new deal programme.

Jane Kennedy: 420 lone parents in Edinburgh North and Leith have gained work through the new deal for lone parents since the start of the programme in October 1998. Figures for lone parents who have gained work through other new deal programmes are not available.

Human Rights Norms for Business

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the Government envisages for the UN Human Rights Norms for Business in clarifying the responsibilities of multinational corporations with regard to human rights.

Douglas Alexander: While there is merit in clarifying minimum standards for business in relation to human rights, we believe that future action on this agenda should take into account the many codes and initiatives which exist in this field, rather than focussing exclusively on the draft norms. These include the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, the International Labour Organisation Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy and the UN Global Compact. This approach is in line with the recent report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on this issue.
	Through the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights, a number of multinational companies have been "road-testing" the draft norms, using the content to inform their codes of practice. This process will continue until December 2006. In addition, the FTSE4Good benchmark takes the draft norms into account in its assessment of companies' performance. And some potential investors consider the draft norms in their requirement for "human rights impact assessments".

Iran

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is regarding the Iranian authorities' use of enriched uranium; and whether the UK is participating in the US initiatives to encourage Iran not to undertake this process.

Denis MacShane: The Government continues to have serious concerns about Iran's nuclear programme, including its plans to develop an indigenous uranium enrichment capability. Together with colleagues from France and Germany (the "E3") and the European High Representative, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been engaged since late 2002 in efforts to encourage the Iranian authorities to address international concern about their proposed nuclear cycle.
	We welcome the announcement by the United States on 11 March 2005 that it has decided to support the E3's diplomacy by dropping its objection to Iran's application to the World Trade Organisation and consider, on a case by case basis, the licensing of spare-parts for Iranian civilian aircraft, in particular from the EU to Iran.

Palestine Authority

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the risk posed by Hezbollah to the establishment of stable Palestinian Government in the Palestinian Territories.

Chris Mullin: Hizballah continues to reject the legitimacy of the state of Israel and to support Palestinian groups which reject the Oslo Accord. We are concerned that Hizballah are in a position to undermine the current efforts being made by President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority to work towards a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
	We have made clear that we believe Hizballah should play a more constructive role and should support the Palestinian Authority in its efforts.

Accidents

Jon Trickett: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many accidents occurred at his departmental premises in each of the last five years involving (a) members of his Department's staff and (b) members of the public.

David Lammy: The Department for Constitutional Affairs has accident records which identify how many accidents have occurred for the past three years: 2002, 2003, 2004. For 2002, no differentiation was made between accidents to staff and the public. The figures are:
	
		
			  Staff Public Total 
		
		
			 2002 (30)— (30)— 467 
			 2003 430 128 558 
			 2004 497 166 663 
			 2005 (to date) 58 26 84 
		
	
	(30) No analysis

Accidents

Jon Trickett: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether he publishes data for the number of accidents at work involving employees of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Yes. It is intended that accident data will be published in the Department's report for 2005–06, when produced.

Accidents

Jon Trickett: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what arrangements for monitoring accidents at work involving members of staff of his Department are in place; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department for Constitutional Affairs has appointed health and safety advisers across the Department who maintain systems for monitoring accidents at work to employees. The advisers investigate and report accidents via the normal management structures to ensure that control measures are identified to prevent recurrence.

Departmental Accounts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether Ministers in the Department have issued written instructions to override his Department's accounting officer's objections since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 80W.

Electoral Registration

Mark Prisk: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many heads of households have been prosecuted since 2001 for failing to supply information to the electoral registration authorities in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Christopher Leslie: Local Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are responsible for compiling the electoral register for their registration area, and electoral law provides that an ERO may require any person to give information required for the purposes of that officer's duties in maintaining electoral registers. It is an offence to fail to comply with such a request. Figures are not collected centrally in respect of prosecutions arising from this provision.

Electoral Registration

Mark Prisk: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to introduce further sanctions for failing to supply correct information on an electoral registration form.

Christopher Leslie: The Electoral Commission recommended in the report "Voting for Change" that it should become an offence for an individual to fail to supply information at any time to the Electoral Registration Officer or to supply false information. We agree in principle that the existing offence of failure to supply or giving false information on the canvass form should be extended to other communications with the Electoral Registration Officer and we are considering how this might be taken forward.

EU Referendum

Ian Davidson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether UK rules on spending during the EU referendum period will apply to spending in the UK by the UK Representation of the European Commission.

Christopher Leslie: The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 governs the conduct of the referendum and contains the rules on spending during the referendum period. The European Commission have said that they will not intervene or fund activities against the wishes of the member states.

Judges

Ross Cranston: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate he has made of the difference in cost of permanently locating a High Court judge or judges in a large commercial centre such as Birmingham compared with the costs of the present system of visiting High Court judges.

Christopher Leslie: No assessment has been made of the difference in cost of permanently locating High Court judges to the larger commercial centres as compared to the present system, although the cost effectiveness of the current arrangements for housing High Court judges while out on circuit is regularly reviewed.

Judges

David Amess: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many judges have been appointed in each year since 1997.

Christopher Leslie: The number of judges appointed since 1997 can be found in the following table and includes appointments to courts and tribunals administered by my Department.
	The figure quoted for 1997 is for the calendar year and for full-time appointments only. The number of part-time appointments can be determined only at disproportionate cost.
	Figures from 1998 are obtained from the Judicial Appointments Annual Reports to Parliament for each of the financial years from 1998–2004 and include both full and part-time appointments.
	
		
			  Number of appointments 
		
		
			 1997 66 
			 1998–99 634 
			 1999–2000 464 
			 2000–01 753 
			 2001–02 915 
			 2002–03 697 
			 2003–04 480

Small Claims Procedure

Andrew Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many cases have been brought using the small claims procedure in the last year for which information is available; and what proportion have been transferred to a higher court or procedure.

David Lammy: All proceedings issued in the county court are issued using the same procedure. A small proportion of these are then allocated to the small claims track. The number of such claims cases dealt with during 2004 was 45,323. These cases are dealt with by a district judge in the county court. Information is not maintained centrally about cases transferred to a higher court or any other procedure.

Surplus Assets Sales

Nigel Evans: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether his Department sold any surplus stock on the eBay auction website, in each year since 2000–01.

Christopher Leslie: The Department has no record of placing for auction any surplus stock on eBay.

Surplus Assets Sales

Nigel Evans: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the value of sales of surplus assets from the Department was in each year since 2000–01.

Christopher Leslie: The proceeds from disposal of surplus assets since 2000–01 are shown as follows.
	
		
			   £000 
			  Cash proceeds Accrual proceeds 
		
		
			 2000–01 8,206 8,206 
			 2001–02 310 310 
			 2002–03 4,194 4,194 
			 2003–04 3,262 59,877 
		
	
	In line with the guidance in the Resource Accounting Manual and Government Accounting these figures are disclosed in the departmental Resource Accounts. Copies of the Resource Accounts are available in the Library of the Houses of Parliament.
	The reason for the large difference between cash and accrual proceeds for 2003–04 is that payments are being made in stages with a further £56.6 million due to be received by the Department by the end of the 2006–07 financial year.

Travellers (Cambridgeshire)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much Government funding has been allocated to the Cambridgeshire Travellers Initiative Project.

David Lammy: The Cambridgeshire Travellers Initiative Project is a Partnership Initiative Budget (PIB) Project funded by the Legal Services Commission. The funding allocated to the project is £60,750 over 36 months (November 2003 to October 2006). All PIB funded projects are required to have at least 25 per cent. match funding. The Cambridgeshire Travellers Initiative Project receives its match funding in kind (covering costs such as office space and supervision) from the Ormiston Children and Families Trust.

Cancelled Operations

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations have been cancelled in NHS hospitals in each of the past 10 years.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 March 2005
	The available information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 
			  Number of cancelled operations Per 100 elective admissions Number of cancelled operations Per 100 elective admissions Number of cancelled operations Per 100 elective admissions Number of cancelled operations Per 100 elective admissions 
		
		
			 1994–95 11,603 1.1 10,186 0.9 11,874 1 14,466 1.2 
			 1995–96 11,860 1 11,457 1 14,514 1.2 16,652 1.3 
			 1996–97 11,595 1 11,055 0.9 13,023 1.1 16,374 1.4 
			 1997–98 12,019 1 11,550 1 12,476 1 14,460 1.2 
			 1998–99 12,384 1 11,470 0.9 14,611 1.1 17,685 1.3 
			 1999–2000 12,313 0.9 12,017 0.9 15,769 1.2 20,143 1.5 
			 2000–01 17,033 1.3 16,965 1.2 18,844 1.4 24,976 1.8 
			 2001–02 20,833 1.6 20,901 1.6 20,036 1.5 19,973 1.5 
			 2002–03 14,808 1.1 14,826 1.1 17,706 1.3 19,914 1.4 
			 2003–04 14,092 1.1 14,364 1.0 17,782 1.3 20,065 1.4 
			 2004–05 14,677 1.1 14,931 1.1 17,402 1.3 (31)— (31)— 
		
	
	(31) Quarter 4 2004–05 data is not available
	Source:
	Department of Health www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity

Deafness

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health through what mechanism he plans to ensure that the guidelines in the National Institute for Mental Health in England and Department of Health report, Mental Health and Deafness—"Towards Equity and Access"—Best Practice Guide, are effectively implemented.

Rosie Winterton: The guidelines outlined in "Towards Equity and Access" will be implemented by primary care trusts in the normal way for national health service developments. They will be assisted in this task by an implementation group drawn from the voluntary sector, the National Institute for Mental Health in England and the providers of specialist services.

Dentistry

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in Merseyside are accepting (a) children, (b) pensioners and (c) adult NHS patients, broken down by primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: The information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Providing occasional national health service treatment to non registered patients Registering charge exempt adults for NHS treatment Registering charge paying adults for NHS treatment Registering children aged 0–18 years for NHS treatment 
		
		
			 Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority 139 170 164 219 
			 Bebington and West Wirral primary care trust 9 13 13 14 
			 Birkenhead and Wallasey PCT 18 20 19 23 
			 Central Cheshire PCT 4 7 4 15 
			 Central Liverpool PCT 20 18 18 22 
			 Cheshire West PCT 9 13 10 16 
			 Eastern Cheshire PCT 3 3 3 15 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston PCT 9 8 9 9 
			 Halton PCT 4 12 12 13 
			 Knowsley PCT 12 17 17 16 
			 North Liverpool PCT 14 15 15 15 
			 South Liverpool PCT 544 4 — — 
			 South Sefton PCT 16 19 19 20 
			 Southport and Formby PCT 5 — — 1 
			 St. Helens PCT 11 16 16 17 
			 Warrington PCT — 5 5 19 
		
	
	Note:
	The totals do not differentiate between pensioners and adult patients. However, it does differentiate between "charge exempt" and "charge paying" adults.
	Source:
	www.nhs.uk (11 March 2005)

Digital Hearing Aids

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the total cost is of providing a digital hearing aid on the NHS including (a) assessment, (b) fitting, (c) follow-up and (d) purchase of the aid;
	(2)  what the (a) assessment, (b) fitting and (c) follow-up costs for a (i) digital hearing aid and (ii) an analogue hearing aid are;
	(3)  what costs are included in the NHS reference cost for the (a) assessment, (b) fitting and (c) follow-up of digital hearing aids on the NHS.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department collects unit cost and activity data from all national health service providers in England each financial year. This information is available on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPoli cy/FinanceAndPlanning/NHSReferenceCosts/fs/en.
	The latest data available is for the financial year 2003–04, but, following a change in accounting procedures, data on the costs of digital hearing aids is no longer included. For analogue aids the data shows:
	The average cost of an attendance with provision of a standard analogue aid was £63.
	The average cost of an attendance with provision of a superior analogue aid (including directional control) was £88.
	Under the heading of the fitting of hearing aids and counselling (including tinnitus) the average costs were:
	Assessment—£50
	Fitting—£57
	Follow-up—£36.

Genito-Urinary Medicine

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the average waiting times for urgent genito-urinary medicine appointments.

Melanie Johnson: Data on genito-urinary medicine clinic waiting times is collected and published on behalf of the Department by the Health Protection Agency. The latest data is contained in the report "GUM Waiting Times Audit November 2004", freely available on the Health Protection Agency's website at www.hpa.org.uk

Human Eggs

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many human eggs were donated for (a) fertility treatment and (b) research purposes in each year from 1991 to 2004.

Melanie Johnson: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has informed me that information on human eggs donated by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) patients for the treatment of others is only available from 1999. The number of eggs donated is as shown in the table.
	
		Human eggs donated for fertility treatment between1999 and 2004
		
			  
		
		
			 1999(35) 9,924 
			 2000 15,164 
			 2001 14,720 
			 2002 12,664 
			 2003 11,739 
			 2004 12,139 
		
	
	(35) Information not collected prior to 1 April 1999.
	Source:
	Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
	Data on human eggs donated for research purposes is not collected routinely by the HFEA. However, information obtained by the HFEA from licensed centres suggests that approximately 1,500 human eggs have been donated for research purposes since 1991.
	Data on the HFEA's register is currently being audited to improve the accuracy of the information available. It may therefore be subject to future amendment following the completion of the modernisation programme in March 2006.

Intermediate Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of 17 January 2005, Official Report, column 799W, on intermediate care, what further plans his Department has to increase access to intermediate care services on top of the NHS Plan targets for extra beds and care places; and what steps he expects local primary care trusts to take further to expand intermediate care services at a local level.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 18 March 2005
	The key priorities of the Department are designed to ensure that local health and social care systems continue to invest in and develop the concept of intermediate care alongside mainstream primary, community and social care services.
	In addition, we are investing £60 million over the years 2006–07 and 2007–08 to set up joint projects between councils, their national health service and other partners to test and evaluate innovative ways of establishing sustainable arrangements for prevention work including intermediate care services that will; provide early and better targeted interventions for older people; which will maintain and enhance their independence and quality of life; and avoid the need for hospital or other high intensity care.

Neo-natal Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will list the neo-natal special care units which are operational; and how many cots are available in each;
	(2)  which hospitals with neo-natal units (a) offer free on-site accommodation for parents and (b) make accommodation available but charge for it;
	(3)  if he will list the (a) neonatal intensive care units and (b) high dependency care neo-natal units, which are operational; and how many cots are available in each;
	(4)  what the average stay of babies in (a) special care, (b) high dependency and (c) intensive neo-natal units was in the last period for which figures are available;
	(5)  what his plans are for funding neo-natal care over the next five years.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the average daily number of cots available in wards classified as 'Intensive Care: Neonates' during 2003–04 has been placed in the Library.
	Information on parental accommodation at neonatal units is not collected centrally, nor are data on the average length of stay for babies admitted to units.
	An extra £20 million has been provided yearly to national health service primary care trusts (PCTs) for neonatal intensive care. This is in addition to the PCTs' general funding allocation, which is set to increase over the next five years and which may also
	be used to increase neonatal capacity where needed.

Neo-natal Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the nurse to baby ratio is in each neo-natal unit in NHS hospitals;
	(2)  when he expects to achieve British Association of Perinatal Medicine Standards for nursing levels.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the nurse-to-baby ratio in each neo-natal unit is not collected centrally.
	It is for local hospital trusts to ensure that there are appropriate nursing levels within neo-natal units relative to the number and criticality of the infants on the unit, as set out in the report of the neo-natal intensive care services review group, which was published in April 2003.

Neo-natal Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) whole time equivalent and (b) head count specialist neo-natal (i) nurses and (ii) doctors have been employed in the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

John Hutton: Information is not collected on the number of specialist neo-natal nurses or doctors.

Nurses

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average pay of a fully qualified NHS nurse was in real terms (a) in 1997 and (b) the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The average pay of a fully qualified national health service nurse is shown in the table. The earliest year for which the Department holds figures is 1999.
	
		Average annualised earnings(39) of qualified nurses: 1999 and 2002—England
		
			 Average annualised earnings(40) in real terms (£)(41) 
			  1999 2002 
		
		
			 2002–03 as reference year 22,900 24,500 
		
	
	(39) The NHS earnings survey is based on the payroll of a sample of approximately 50 per cent. of NHS trusts in August.
	(40) Figures rounded to the nearest 100.
	(41) Figures uprated to "real terms" values using the gross domestic product (GDP)deflator index
	Sources:
	1. Department of Health national health service earnings survey.
	2. Her Majesty's Treasury GDP deflator index.

Obesity

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the adult population was obese in each of the last five years for which figures are available; how many individuals that percentage represents in actual terms in each of those years; how many obese persons he estimates died in each of those years; and how many individual adults became obese in each of those years.

Melanie Johnson: Information is not available in exactly the form requested. The figures for the percentage of the adult population that was obese in the five years from 1999 to 2003, taken from the Health Survey for England, are shown in the table. The Health Survey for England provides estimates of the underlying population figures but, because of the small sample size any representation of the figures as a number of the total population should be treated with caution. Although Health Survey data for 2003 is weighted to provide a better match to the general population, un-weighted data for 2003 is shown here for consistency with previous years' data, which have not yet been weighted. Figures for the incidence of obesity are not available.
	
		Adults classed as obese (body mass index greater than 30): 1999–2003
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Obese as a proportion of the total sample (percentage) 20.0 21.2 22.4 22.5 23.2 
			 Sample base(42) (number) 6,903 6,963 13,681 6,478 13,056 
			 Estimated number of obese adults in the total population (million) 7.6 8.1 8.6 8.8 9.0 
		
	
	(42) Aged 16 and over with both valid height and weight measurements.
	Source:
	Health Survey for England.
	With regard to how many obese people died in each of those years, the fact that a person was obese is not routinely recorded at death certification. However, data on deaths where the underlying cause was certified as obesity or where this condition contributed to the death is collected. The following table shows the number of deaths in England and Wales where obesity was the underlying cause of death and where obesity contributed to the death, for the calendar years 1999 to 2003.
	
		Number of deaths where obesity—International Classification of Diseases (ICD)—9278.0; ICD-10 E66—was the underlying cause of death or contributed to the death: England and Wales, 1999–2003
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Underlying cause 165 161 183 182 219 
			 Contributed to death 597 626 695 732 885 
			 Total number of deaths from all causes 556,118 535,664 530,373 533,527 538,254 
		
	
	Note:
	Data are for occurrences of death per calendar year.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role is fulfilled by the third special adviser in his Department.

Rosie Winterton: Special advisers in this Department are appointed under the terms and conditions set out in "Code of Conduct for Special Advisers".

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the speeches his special advisers made in an official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004, broken down by date.

Rosie Winterton: All meetings held by special advisers and all speeches given by special advisers are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the "Code of Conduct for Special Advisers".

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce adult smoking rates to 21 per cent. or less by 2010 will be met;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce adult smoking rates among routine and manual groups to 26 per cent. or less by 2010 will be met.

Melanie Johnson: The public service agreement (PSA) targets for smoking prevalence in 2010 were set in summer 2004. A delivery plan for the White Paper, "Choosing Health", has been developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders to contribute to achieving the PSA target.
	The delivery plan, together with the tobacco control strategy currently in place, will see an expansion of the national health service stop smoking services and additional support to help smokers quit; further measures to reduce peoples exposure to second-hand smoke; further restrictions on tobacco advertising and promotion; continued highly effective national smoking campaigns; work with Her Majesty's Customs and Excise to reduce the supply of smuggled and counterfeit tobacco and measures to combat underage sales. All these measures will contribute to delivery of the PSA target.
	Latest prevalence figures, for 2003, published in December 2004 are shown in the following table.
	
		Prevalence of cigarette smoking (persons aged 16 and over, England)
		
			 Percentage 
			  2003 
		
		
			 Routine and manual socio-economic group 32 
			 All persons 25 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics General Household Survey 2003.